CV’s have long been part of the hiring process, but now, with the tech economy accounting for 14% of roles, are they still a useful tool for assessing a candidate’s skill? Or is the CV dead?
While CVs provide valuable information about an individual’s educational background, work experience, and skills, the increasing over-dependence on this document has led to several concerns in the tech recruitment landscape.
”Roughly 57% of recruiters said they would say goodbye to the CV
According to a survey conducted by developer hiring platform CodinGame, more than half of recruiters are open to the idea of eliminating CVs from the hiring process in favour of an increase in skills-based assessments.
The limitations of CVs in assessing technical competence
CVs typically focus on academic qualifications, certifications, and work experiences. As you are no doubt cognizant of if you work in tech; technical competence extends far beyond theoretical knowledge and education. Paper-based CVs do not provide sufficient evidence of a candidate’s technical skills and ability to innovate in the rapidly evolving technical landscape.
Incomplete representation of skills: CVs often fail to provide a holistic representation of an individual’s technical skills and capabilities. While they may list programming languages, frameworks, or tools, they do not offer a complete picture of the depth of understanding or proficiency level. Furthermore, CVs may not reflect a candidate’s ability to adapt to new technologies or demonstrate problem-solving skills, which are crucial in the fast-paced tech industry.
Bias and limited diversity: CV-based evaluations can inadvertently perpetuate bias in tech recruitment. Studies have shown that unconscious bias based on gender, ethnicity, or educational background can influence hiring decisions. When CVs become the primary tool for assessing candidates, organisations risk missing out on diverse talent pools, which can have a detrimental impact on innovation and creativity within their teams.
Is the CV dead?
Is it still worth your time and effort to craft a beautifully presented CV that details your skills, career, and worth, while highlighting the benefit you would bring to a new company?
Absolutely! A great CV is needed more than ever to effectively display your skills and personality. They are still the go-to method of sorting out the wheat from the chaff in the most efficient and effective way.
But CVs need to move with the times. Multimedia content provides a far more engaging and immersive experience for recruiters, helping candidates stand out amongst the monotony of CV screening.
Recruiters don’t have much patience for text
But CVs need to evolve and embrace digital evolution. Multimedia content provides a far more engaging and immersive experience for recruiters, helping candidates stand out amongst the monotony of CV screening.
The human brain processes images 60,000 times faster than text.
Most people only read 28% of words on a web page.
The interaction rate for video is 73% higher than for written text.
You only have between six and ten seconds to make an impression with your CV. Make it count.
